The Bell rang out in the pet shop. Yeah, you read that right. Pet shop.

It had been almost a full 72 hours and Sam was already desperate. The spell wasn't wearing off and Garth gave the ever so helpful 'just wait it out' excuse over the phone late Monday night while dean mended his ear. The Hunt was done. The Colonel was (reluctantly) left with the vegan bakers and all's well that ends well. And then came the itching. Dean swore up and down that he hadn't been near any other dogs, not even had the urge to sniff a butt of a stray yorkie, and yet, under inspection, the fleas on his scalp might as well been trained by Ringling himself. They tried changing soaps and even got the 'human de-flea-r' crap form the store down the street but nothing had helped.

Sam thought of his brother sitting in the bunker, wrapped in some new cream thing on his head , and almost felt bad. Then remembered that he had found him chewing on Sam's laptop charger cord in his sleep and felt like taking the time to check if the stuff he was buying was truly the #1 Good Breeds Best Seller. Ambient music played on the speakers overhead and he passed jars of 'Buster's Approved PeanutButter!'. Why are so many dog related things have Bs in them?

He walked a little more elated to the impala with three different brands of dog shampoo and two jars of peanut butter.

Cas ran from his room to the bathroom across the hall as fast as he could without tripping on his pants and grabbed his angelblade and demon knife. The grunting got louder and reverberated throughout the hall. His shirt now wet,('you gotta dry off before putting on clothes, cas') he jumped over a pile of books left by the store-room door and ran into the giganticv workroom that led to the study. No red lights flashing, no slamming down of doors, just a lump in the middle of the walkway between the two areas shrouded by a thick blanket.

Moaning. Almost as if in a terrible pain, but sounded more like frustration. He saw a limb kick out from under the blanket, too fast for his now human eyes to catch the skin pattern and identify who or what was there.

It ached Cas's bones that he wasn't an angel anymore and the lightning sharp sense of fear in his throat alerted him to the fact and thus felt his determination steel. He lowered his blades, putting the Divine Object in his pack pocket but keeping the Demon blade secure in his hand. ('Never let go of it, cas')He approached the object cautiously and noted that it was shrouded in a familiar cloth. Sam's bed blanket? It was obviously alive, but in a tremendous amount of pain. How did it get in? Where was Sam and Dean? He remembered Sam saying he was leaving, but Cas had been asleep. He had been for the past few hours? Days? Yes. Days.

The mass was now trembling a little and small quick breath's escaped from what he assumed was the creature's mouth. Cas stepped closer, about to uncover the blanket('Slow and steady, cas')

And a sudden flash of full body movement erupted from the blanket. Surprised, he fell back, the angel blade slipping out of his pocket and clattering to the floor. "Curses.."

"Cas?" Castiel looked form the floor to see Dean and found him leaned on one hand on the ground and another around his own blade. He was leaned as if trying to rise from a relaxed position; the blanket draped across his waist.

It was then that Cas realized that the noises Cas was hearing was Dean having a nightmare.

But why sleep out in the hall, instead of Cas cocked his head and was about to speak until- "Cas!"- arms enveloped him and he was knocked backwards a few steps. He Winchesters do not...hug...often.

"Dean" exasperated, and confused he continued the previously interrupted sentence, "Why are you making noises of pain?"

Something is wrong. But he saw no lesions or head bumps. The blade pressed against Deans exposed arm, a result of him pinning that hand to Cas' side via the arm around waist, confirmed no demon activity. He also knew the bunker was protected to the nine. The ruins carved in the floor they were standing on would have rendered Dean immobile if anything other than human was in there.

Dean continued to hold on, Nothing more than one arm around his shoulder and one around his waist, as customary of a Winchester hug, needed to secure his hold, and spoke over Cas's shoulder an earthshattering response.

"I thought I was alone, man."

Cas breathed out. Of course. He had been sleeping too long and thus they probably forgot he was even or that he was ok. He put a collused hand on Dean's back with his free arm and patted a cautionary 3 times.

He hoped Sam would return soon.

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